Of Little Boys and Puppy Dog Tails
by Questfan
Summary: It has only been a short time since the family lost Marie and each of them is struggling to come to terms with it. None of them could have foreseen the impact one small, stray dog would have on the whole family.


**I have wanted to write a Hoss story where he got the focus for some time now, but had no idea of what/where/why other than it had to include animals. I recently read a lovely story called "Toby" by HelenB over on Bonanza Brand and it brought this story back to the front burner. As hard as I tried to keep this centred on Hoss, Joe just nudged his way in as well :-)**

 **Of Little Boys and Puppy Dog Tails**

It all started with a dog.

A small, scruffy, pathetic excuse for a dog.

Well, in truth, it started well before that, but the dog set things off on a new tangent that nobody could have foreseen.

Adam stood in the doorway, his half empty coffee mug all but forgotten in his hand. He sighed as he watched his father ride out of the yard once again. It had been the same pattern for two months. Pa would find the memories overwhelming and he'd ride out for a few days. Adam had no idea where his father rode to and really didn't care. All he knew was that his indestructible father was apparently breakable after all. The man he had looked up to his entire life as a solid, dependable presence, was not the same man any more. The man who had taken his infant son across the country to fulfill a dream was drowning in a nightmare and none of them could break him out of it.

"See you soon, Pa." He whispered the words, almost as a prayer that he would actually see his father soon. Ben had never left for more than a few days at a time and Adam guessed he just rode through the mighty ponderosa pines he loved so much and tried to pull his broken heart back into some semblance of wholeness. Maybe he raged at God as Adam wanted to do. Maybe he cried as Little Joe so often did. Maybe he … Adam pulled up short as he suddenly wondered what it was that Hoss did to deal with his grief.

Hoss loved.

Adam smiled as he turned back to the breakfast table and saw his middle brother trying to coax Joe into eating some more food. The child was already small for his age and his appetite was always a concern for them all, but lately he was eating like a sparrow. Adam couldn't really blame him. Nothing tasted right anymore.

Hoss had a grin plastered on and he was saying something to Joe that managed to crack a small smile in return.

Yes, Hoss loved.

Even at eleven, he was already showing that he was going to be a big man, like his Uncle Gunnar who Adam barely remembered. But it was his heart that stood out to all who knew him. Hoss could scoop up the smallest critter and calm it without any effort. He had a way with the broken and damaged and often returned home with strays that just needed some "fixin'" before he set them free again.

Adam felt his hand tighten around the cup he was holding and the deep-seated anger threatened to well up once again. Why had such a gentle boy been deprived of the only mother he'd ever known? He sucked in a breath and forced himself to keep calm. He could not afford to allow the anger to burst forth.

"Time you were heading to school, Hoss. Pa said you weren't to be late."

Hoss looked up and nodded. "Almost done. Just need Little Joe ta finish the last of that there flapjack for me."

Joe pushed the last of his food around the rim of the plate and into the syrup, pretending he was eating it. It was a tactic they knew only too well and Adam smiled as he sat down next to his youngest brother.

"I'll finish here, Hoss. You need to get moving."

Hoss frowned as he reluctantly pushed up from his seat. Joe hadn't said a word through breakfast other than to say goodbye to their pa. He'd cried himself to sleep the night before and this morning it seemed he was going to retreat back into himself again. It reminded him of a tortoise as his little brother pulled back inside a hard, protective shell.

By the time Hoss headed off to school, Joe was still sitting at the table staring at the stone cold food on his plate. Adam was relieved when Hop Sing came back and took that responsibility off his hands. As he rode out for the north pasture, he wondered again just how they were going to pull their broken family back together again.

* * *

As Adam wheeled his horse towards the barn, he was surprised to hear the sounds of laughter coming from inside. He slid down from his horse's back and tugged at the reins. He hadn't heard that sound in months and he smiled as he walked through the door, intrigued as to what was causing it.

"Stop it!" Joe's high-pitched giggle mingled with the command and Adam stopped in his tracks when he saw the cause of it. What could only be described as a mangy furball was madly licking at his brother's face while Hoss tried to tie a rope around what he assumed was its neck. Adam waited and watched as Joe tried in vain to stop the dog from slobbering across his nose and cheek.

"I said, stop it!" There was no anger in the words and Adam couldn't contain his grin as he watched the losing battle. The dog had more energy than Joe and was clearly not going to listen to any such instruction.

The smile slid from his face as he realised that energy had been missing for months. Joe had been reduced to a shadow of himself as he struggled to understand why his mother was never going to come back.

"Come on you ol' ragamuffin!" Hoss finally got the end of the rope tied to a stall and he gripped the dog around its neck and scratched behind both ears. The dog responded with a happy yip and proceeded to lick Hoss' face instead.

"What have we got here?"

Neither boy had heard Adam approach and both looked slightly guilty as they looked up to see him standing behind them.

"He followed me home, Adam! He don't look like nobody owns him. He needs a family, don'tcha reckon?"

The pleading look in his brother's eyes tugged at him and Adam leaned down to pat the mass of matted fur that was masquerading as a dog. The dog licked enthusiastically at his hand and Hoss grinned.

"See, he likes you! We can keep him, can't we Adam?" Joe stood up and moved towards his older brother. In the absence of their father, the decision would be his and Joe held his breath as he waited for an answer.

Adam smiled as he saw the first genuine spark in his youngest brother's eyes that he had seen in months.

"I guess so. But …" He was cut off before he could say anything else as both brothers let out a loud whoop of joy. The dog responded by bounding in circles and managed to tangle himself in the rope. As Hoss hurried to untangle him, Adam continued on.

"But … he needs a bath and a haircut."

"Sure thing, Adam. Just as soon as we feed him."

Adam nodded as he returned to his horse and began to unbuckle the saddle girth. "He does look kinda hungry."

He'd been looking forward to finishing up the day with a bath of his own and soaking away the tired ache that seemed embedded in his bones, but instead, the three of them somehow managed to bathe and clip one feisty little dog. The haircut didn't quite go to plan and there were a few odd tufts and bare patches by the end of it. They were all soaked and covered in dog fur by the time they were finished, but Adam would carry the memory for a long time of the giggles and shouts that accompanied the job. It felt good to see his brothers laughing again and hope began to rise in his heart. Maybe they really would make it through after all.

As Adam headed for bed that night, he smiled again as he thought about the plot he'd overheard to sneak the dog inside and keep him under Hoss' bed. Instead, he was tied up in the barn with a bowl of water and an old horse blanket for a bed. He nudged open Little Joe's door and walked over towards the bed. His brother was sprawled across the bed as he usually was and his covers were half off the bed. Adam tugged at the bedding and wrapped it back over his brother's shoulders, knowing full well it would soon be kicked off again. He smiled as he ruffled his brother's hair and leaned down to whisper a goodnight.

Although Hoss would consider himself too old to need it, Adam knew their father still checked on him every night before retiring. He wondered if his father still checked on him occasionally and he smiled as he half hoped that he did. The door was closed and he gently turned the handle, hoping not to wake his brother. As he quietly stepped towards the bed, he instinctively knew something was amiss. The lump in the bed looked all wrong and he reached out a hand to ease the covers back. Instead of finding his brother sleeping, a pillow and a pile of clothes was stuffed under the covers. Fear welled up in his chest for a brief moment until his usual rational mind kicked in.

"The barn!" He muttered to himself as he flung the covers back onto the bed. It took just a few minutes for him to retrieve his boots and make his way outside. It was a clear night with plenty of moonlight and he alternated between anger and amusement as he stomped across the yard. The door creaked as he pulled it open and a small yip alerted him to the fact that at least one occupant was awake. Adam reached for the lantern and struck a match. Shadows fled from the light and he kept it turned low as he walked across to where they had left the dog tied up. Sure enough, Hoss was sound asleep in the hay with the dog wrapped firmly up against his chest.

Adam could have sworn the dog had been taking lessons from Little Joe as it turned its liquid brown eyes towards him. It would have taken a hard heart to not be moved and Adam leaned back against the railing, debating what to do. Finally he settled for pointing a finger at the dog and shaking his head in defeat.

"You … you're trouble!"

As if agreeing with him, the stray yipped back at him and Adam smiled in spite of himself. He leaned over to see that Hoss was warm enough and decided nobody was going to die from sleeping one night in a barn. He dowsed the lantern and hung it back on the hook before heading back towards the house.

Yes, Hoss loved. And now he had something else to focus that love on.

* * *

If he had been pushed to use just one word for that little dog, Adam would have chosen miracle. It took a small stray to bring the laughter back into the house after months of grief.

Hoss named him Scrap as he seemed to have a nose for Hop Sing's scraps bucket and the two of them became inseparable. Wherever Hoss was, so was the dog. They had tried tying him up each morning before Hoss left for school, but somehow he would escape and follow. More than once, Adam had been forced to go looking for him as Joe's hysterical cries told him that the dog was gone again. It finally seemed easier to allow Hoss to take him to school, carrying him most of the way on the back of his horse and tie him under a tree until recess.

When Ben returned a few days after Hoss had found Scrap, he had no issue with the dog staying, but he did draw the line at Hoss sleeping in the barn. His own grief still felt raw and deep and he still felt detached from the things going on in his own home. The laughter that followed his two youngest boys and the dog, never quite made it past a smile for him. Laughter was still something he could not and would not allow himself to indulge in.

* * *

Joe had taken to waiting in the barn for Hoss and Scrap to return from school and he swung himself up onto a railing to wait once again. He was growing bored as the minutes ticked by and he finally decided to head out and look for them. His pa had given him strict instructions on how far he was allowed on his own and the end gate behind the barn was the limit of his range. Solid wooden posts had been pounded into the ground and a wooden slatted gate swung between them. It was the ideal thing for a small boy to climb up onto and swing back and forth. The hinges had been reworked over the years as first Hoss and then Joe had worked them loose from the post. When Joe finally tired of swinging, he settled down against the gatepost and waited.

As Ben got the disjointed version of events from his youngest son hours later, he felt his heart pounding wildly at just how close they had come to yet another tragedy.

Hoss could see the gate and he felt Scrap wriggling in his arms. It was too far for him to walk all the way to the school and back, but once the dog caught sight of home, he would leap down from the saddle and race the horse and rider to the barn. It was a game that left Joe giggling with delight and often hoarse as he shouted his encouragement to the dog to win, even as he danced in circles around the horse's hooves.

Joe began to scramble to his feet after what seemed like hours of waiting. He never saw the danger that lay coiled only a few feet from him and he startled as Scrap began to growl at him. It was the first time he'd seen the dog act in such a manner and he pulled back from the bared teeth. Hoss had pulled up behind them and could see what Joe could not.

"Don't move, Joe! Stay still!" Hoss' eyes were wide with fear and Joe felt his legs wobbling. He had no idea what was happening, but fear clutched at him as both Scrap and Hoss were acting so strangely.

Scrap continued to growl and crouched down as if getting ready to pounce. The next few moments disappeared in a flurry of motion as the snake struck out in Joe's direction. Hoss screamed for Joe to run as he slid down from his horse. Scrap lunged forward and yelped loudly as the snake latched onto his shoulder. Joe fell backwards and tried to crawl back from the commotion as Hoss swung a large stick at the snake. Scrap snarled and bit at it and finally managed to sink his teeth into the snake, but it was too late.

As Hoss tried desperately to disentangle the now dead snake from his dog's neck, he already knew what was coming. Joe was sobbing and Hoss turned and shouted at him.

"Get Pa!"

Joe stumbled backwards and tried to find something to say in response. The words seemed glued to the top of his mouth and he suddenly realised he was holding his breath.

"Joe! I said ta get Pa!"

Hoss had gathered Scrap into his arms and the dog was squirming within his grasp. He was panting wildly and Joe stared as the dog began to pee down his brother's leg. Hoss seemed oblivious to the dampness as he talked to his friend and stroked at his head.

"Joe!"

It was as if someone had grabbed him by the shoulders and shaken him. Joe turned and ran for the house, trying to find his voice to shout for help.

Ben was finishing up on the accounts and wondering if Hoss would be home soon when the front door flung open. Joe came stumbling in, tears streaming down his face and Ben was on his feet in seconds. The first words out of his son's mouth nearly stopped his heart.

"Snake … I think he's dyin', Pa!" Joe flung himself at his father as Ben scooped him up into his arms. "The snake … it bit Scrap!"

Ben felt himself almost sag with relief as he took in what Joe was saying. If Scrap was home then so was Hoss and it was the dog and not his son who was in trouble.

"Where's Hoss?"

Joe pointed towards the door and buried his face in his father's shoulder. Hop Sing had come running when he heard Joe's shout and Ben quickly transferred the little boy into a safe pair of arms and hurried out the door, feeling sick at what he was about to find. There was no sign of Hoss or his horse in the yard so he ran for the yard gate. The sight that met him felt like a punch to the gut.

Hoss was hunched over in the dirt with the limp body of his dog resting against his elbow. A mauled snake lay only a few feet away and Ben kicked at it to remove it from his son's vicinity. He crouched down in the dirt and reached out a hand to lift his son's chin towards him. Tears mingled with the dirt on the boy's face as it was clear there was nothing either of them could do.

* * *

Long after supper had been cleared from the table, Adam sat staring into the fire. Neither of his brothers had eaten much for supper and both had long since gone up to bed. It had been almost a week of the same since Scrap had been buried under the tree he was most fond of sleeping under. Hoss had surprised them all after the burial by announcing he was done with loving anybody or any thing ever again. Joe had taken that to mean that Hoss blamed him for his dog's death and had pulled right back into that silent shell he'd hidden behind for months.

Adam watched as his father sat trying to read a book, but was clearly not getting very far as he hadn't turned a page in over half an hour.

"He didn't mean it, Pa. You know he didn't. He's just hurting."

Ben looked up to see his eldest son staring at him. He slowly closed the book and sighed as he laid it down on the arm of the chair.

"Actually … I think he did mean it." Ben rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he considered Hoss' angry words. "And that's what worries me."

"Hoss could no sooner stop loving us than he could fly to the moon."

Ben slowly climbed to his feet, feeling every bit his age as he headed for the cabinet and pulled out two glasses and a brandy bottle. Adam watched in silence as his father poured them each a glass and handed one his way. He was surprised as his father didn't usually allow him to drink anything harder than a beer, but he accepted the glass without comment.

"I've failed him." Ben held up a hand to stop Adam's protest. "I've failed all of you." He downed the brandy in one gulp and reached for another. "I felt so lost in my own grief that I had no idea how to bring all of you through it too. That dog was the first glimmer of joy this family has seen in months and now … and now he's gone too."

Ben looked up, expecting to see some kind of reproach in his son's eyes and saw nothing of the sort. Adam simply watched him as he struggled to voice his dark thoughts.

"I pulled back from all of you … not because I didn't love you … but because I couldn't … I …"

"It's alright, Pa."

"No, Adam, it's not! Not if Hoss believes it's better to withhold love and never take the risk of being hurt again. If that's the lesson I have taught my sons then I have failed as a father!"

Adam stood up and walked across to where his father was seated and settled himself on the table by his knees. "That isn't the lesson you've taught us, Pa. You loved Marie and it broke your heart when she died. You needed time to grieve and you've done that. Now it's time for this family to heal."

"I don't think I know how to do that, Son."

Adam noted the tears that pooled in his father's eyes as he lowered his guard to the one person he could.

"You did it before. I remember, Pa."

Ben slowly reached out a hand to cup it behind Adam's neck. "How did you get to be so wise?"

"Musta learned something from my father." He smiled slightly as his father wiped at his eyes. "Hoss will come through this. And so will Joe. You'll see."

* * *

Adam's assurance did little to ease his father's mind as the days dragged on and his middle son showed no sign of changing his mind. Where he had once been the light in the dark and the first to soften a blow when someone was upset, he now seemed empty and cold. The gentle heart that they all knew and loved seemed to have been locked up somewhere and the boy that was left was sullen and silent. Apart from doing the necessary work to care for his horse, there was none of the usual interest in the other animals around him. What distressed his father most though was his self-imposed and growing distance from his family. He had barely spoken to Joe and only been polite in his interactions with the rest of them. Joe had taken the apparent rejection as proof that he was responsible for the death of his brother's dog.

As the weekend rolled around once more, Ben had hoped to coax his son out with an offer to go fishing. Hoss had declined and Joe had been left to his own devices as Adam was busy in his room with his studies.

The house seemed unusually quiet as there was none of the normal boisterous activity involving his two youngest sons and Ben wandered out onto the porch to see where they might be. Hoss was sitting under the tree whittling at a piece of wood when his father carefully approached.

"What are you making, Son?" Hoss had already shown an aptitude for the craft and had fashioned a few horses and soldiers for himself and for Joe. His son looked almost guilty as he clutched a hand around the piece of wood and Ben could make out what appeared to be a tail.

"Is that Scrap?"

It was a risky question and he held his breath as he crouched down and waited to see if his son would answer. Hoss stared at his boots and sucked in a breath as tears began to dribble down his cheeks. A slow nod was enough to confirm his father's thoughts.

"He was a wonderful friend."

When Hoss didn't respond, Ben tried again.

"It's alright to miss him and to grieve."

"No, it's not!"

Ben felt himself tense as he knew he was treading on thin ice.

"Why not? You loved him and he loved you."

Hoss finally looked up to see his father watching him. Tears glistened in his eyes. The words he wanted to say swam together in his head and just would not come out.

"It hurts to love."

Ben slid closer and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "Yes, it does sometimes. But it's also the most wonderful thing in the world." He paused, as if trying to gather his own emotions and thoughts before pushing on. "I loved Adam's mother and I lost her far too soon. I grieved for her, but God sent me another wonderful woman to love again. If I had chosen to stop loving, I never would have had you as a son. If you lock yourself away and try to protect your heart from pain, you will miss out on so much. There is a cost to loving, but there is a bigger cost if we don't let ourselves love."

"Sometimes … sometimes I wish he'd never come here. And then I wouldn't miss him so much."

Ben squeezed his son's shoulders and nodded. "That makes sense, Son. But I'm very grateful Scrap came here because if he didn't, we might well have lost Little Joe."

Hoss shifted against his arm and looked up into his father's face. It was a new idea that he hadn't considered.

"That little dog had a big heart and he loved you boys. He didn't hesitate to protect Joe and that's the cost of love sometimes. You give everything for those you love."

Hoss could see the scene playing out as if it were right in front of him and he shuddered. "I couldn't get there fast enough, Pa. That snake woulda bit Little Joe fer sure."

Ben swallowed hard as he had known the same thing all along. He thanked God more than once that a little stray dog had wandered into his boys' world. Before he could answer, both Adam and Hop Sing came hurrying out into the yard, calling for Little Joe. Both father and son scrambled out from under the tree and Adam ran towards them.

"Have you seen Joe anywhere, Hoss?"

The look on his eldest son's face sent his heart racing and Ben glanced around the yard.

"Not since lunchtime."

"Pa?"

Ben shook his head. "No … I think …" He spun around and began to call his son's name loudly.

After almost an hour of fruitless searching including the few hands still in the bunkhouse on a Saturday afternoon, it was decided to pull together a proper search party that could go further afield. Adam finished tightening his cinch and swung up into the saddle. His father looked distraught and he was barely holding his own fear in check. He didn't think his family could deal with another tragedy so soon and if his father lost Marie's son, it would truly break him. Hoss had barely said two words all afternoon and he knew his brother well enough to know what he was thinking; wrong as it might be. He cast a momentary glance skyward and whispered an almost silent plea for help.

Ben pushed his horse up the hill following the small boot prints that one of the hands had found earlier. He was astounded his son could have travelled so far on foot, but then none of them could really say for sure how long it had been since Joe had left the house. As he crested the hill and saw the clear waters of the lake ahead of him, he sucked in a sharp breath. His son loved the water, but was not a good swimmer. He'd been cautioned against going in without an adult or his brothers nearby, but his father knew his boy well enough to know that didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't.

His heart ached as he saw the view his wife had loved so much. He had buried her here atop the hill where she could see the lake for the rest of eternity. It had seemed such a silly thought, but he could not shake it when he chose her final resting place. For weeks afterwards he had dreamed of resting right alongside her and the thoughts had frightened him. As much as he longed to be with her, he could not leave his boys. And yet he had left them. Several times. He cursed his own weakness each time he rode away from the ranch, but he could not allow his boys to see his brokenness as he wept and screamed and raged at God for taking his beloved Marie.

Fear had ridden alongside him as he searched for his youngest, wondering if God had chosen to take yet more from him as punishment for the bitter words he had screamed in the woods. It would serve him right if Hoss was anything to go by. He'd poisoned his son's heart with his own bitterness and wasn't entirely sure he'd said enough to draw him back. Maybe he didn't deserve to be a father at all.

"Please …. God … be merciful. He's just a little boy." The whispered plea was repeated over and over as he followed the random boot prints in amongst the dust and rocks. As they reached the end of the trail and rode up onto the tough mountain grass, the prints completely ran out. Ben stretched up in the stirrups, straining to see any sign of his boy.

"Joseph! Where are you?"

Behind him, he could hear the search party fanning out and other voices calling his son's name. The sun would be setting in less than half an hour and he shivered at the thought of his son wandering alone in the darkness, especially so close to the lake.

"Pa."

It was the sweetest sound in the world. Ben turned his horse towards the rocky outcrop that stood guard over his wife's too-fresh grave. He slid down to the ground and felt his knees almost give out as he saw Joe hesitantly making his way out from behind the gravestone.

"Please don't be mad at me, Pa! I just wanted to see Mama." The words spilled out as Joe stared at his father's face, trying to decipher the strange look he saw there. Ben hurried over and scooped his son into his arms.

"I'm not mad, Joseph. I'm just relieved you are alright." He quickly began to search for signs of injury as he spoke. "You are alright, aren't you?"

Joe shook his head as fresh tears dribbled down his face. "It hurts."

"Where, Joe?" Ben felt his alarm rising again as he ran his hands over his son's arms and legs.

"Everywhere!"

"I know just watcha mean, Little Joe." Hoss stood off to one side, shuffling from one foot to another in a sure sign he was distressed. "Everythin' hurts for me too."

Joe eyed his brother warily as it was the most he'd spoken to him in what felt like forever. He waited as Adam pulled up his horse and quickly climbed down to join them.

"I think it's been hurting everywhere for all of us for some time."

Ben slowly dropped to one knee and released his son into a standing position, keeping an arm wrapped around him while still allowing his brothers to reach towards him. Hoss was hesitant as he slipped a hand onto Joe's shoulder, half expecting to be rebuffed.

"I'm sorry, Punkin. I never meant to make you feel bad. It's just that I …" Hoss faltered as he considered how he had treated his brother in recent days. There was no way a five-year-old could possibly understand what he barely understood himself. He just knew that it hurt with such an ache he feared it would never go away. Joe stared at him from the safety of his father's arms and Hoss wondered if he would ever be forgiven. Lord knew, he didn't deserve it.

Joe inched closer before finally wrapping his arms around his brother's waist.

"I'm sorry, Hoss. I never meant to get him dead!" The words were muffled up against Hoss' shirt, but he heard them anyway."

"It weren't your fault. It weren't nobody's fault 'cept that mean old snake!"

"I don't want you to hate me."

Hoss felt himself shaking as he gripped onto his brother's arms. His father was right. Love hurts sometimes, but not having love was way more painful.

"I could never hate ya, Joe. I was just awful mad at that snake, that's all."

Ben nodded as Hoss looked to him for direction. It wasn't the whole story, but it was enough for the moment.

* * *

Adam watched as his father quietly made his way down the stairs. His brothers were both safe and soundly asleep in their beds and the world was slowly making its way right again. Hop Sing had brought in a coffee tray and he poured his father a cup.

Ben sank into the chair and sighed heavily. "I had no idea Joe even knew how to get to his mother's grave."

Adam smiled as he considered just how far his brother had walked. "You forget, Pa, Marie took him up there all the time. He knew exactly where he was going."

"He told me on the way back that he went up there to talk to her because nobody here was listening." Ben took a sip of his coffee and tried to contain a frown. "He's right."

Adam waited silently, knowing there was more.

"How could I not know he blamed himself for Scrap dying?"

"You were kind of busy with Hoss, Pa." It was meant to help ease his father's guilt, but it only added to it.

"I'm a father of _three!_ Not one at a time."

"Pa," Adam shifted slightly as he weighed his next words carefully. "You are allowed to be human. We all missed it."

Ben barely nodded in response.

"I had an idea, Pa. I don't know if it's too soon, but Hank Wilson's dog is having pups in a few weeks. It'd be a while before they're big enough to take home, but maybe it's time to give Hoss and Joe something new to focus on."

"You mean something new to love?"

Adam felt his lip twitching into a smile. He meant exactly that, but he hoped his father would catch on too.

"Someone wise once told me the best way to heal a broken heart is to allow it to love again."

"If only people were so easy to replace as dogs are."

Adam recoiled as if he'd been slapped. "I didn't mean …"

Ben held up a hand to stop his son. "I'm sorry, Son. That was uncalled for."

He took another sip of his coffee before placing the empty cup back on the table. "It's a good idea. Why don't you let Hank know we'll be out soon to talk about it?"

* * *

Hoss laughed as the black and tan puppy wriggled in Joe's hands and licked at his nose. Joe scrunched up his face and giggled loudly. Adam leaned back against the hearth as he watched his brothers playing with the newest member of the family. He wasn't naïve enough to think his family was altogether healed and he still heard his father pacing the floor some nights, but he knew they had finally made a turn in the right direction.


End file.
